


All Forests Have a Monster

by swiftishere



Series: MSA One-Shots [6]
Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Animal Death, Gen, Not Beta Read, Pre-Canon, Pre-Cave Incident, Swift Makes Up Shit About Spirits Again, but offscreen, inspiration bug bit me okay, or edited at all, they're not friends guys, this is not a friendly interaction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:53:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22172122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swiftishere/pseuds/swiftishere
Summary: Years ago, a warrior came to a bright, sunny, bone-white forest, troubled by tales of lost souls and sharp teeth and twisting, hungry branches. She came to slay the monster within. The story is told that in defeating it, she gained its allyship, and the two began their life together by burning the forest to the ground, that no trace of the monster's evil deeds might remain.Years later, something living in a dark cavern attracts the unfortunate attention of a much different monster.
Series: MSA One-Shots [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1440190
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	All Forests Have a Monster

**Author's Note:**

> why do you think ??? fucking books it when mori shows up. out of respect? no. she can and will kick its ass. and she has. and you get to see it happen! you lucky thing.

It's taken the form of a rabbit, just for now, just for a lack of better options. It was a coincidence that it had the option in the first place. The tiny thing had wandered into its home and, well, it was running low on fresh meat anyways. The smaller creatures are so easy to take over; it's a simple matter of nudging the consciousness a little to the side, forcing its smoke into its head, and then perhaps taking a nice long walk off a short cliff. 

In any case. It's the rabbit now, and it's out for a stroll. Stretching its legs, so to speak, seeing what's changed since the last time it had a body that could freely wander the world. Testing out its new form, legs that pound the earth and a good nose and _whiskers_? And the eyes of prey are always so strange. So it wanders, idly, exploring, into the trees beyond its cave. 

The forest is still a forest, and just as large as it always is, but it looks different in the day. More... promising. Promising blood and meat and pain, free for the taking. There are a host of other creatures like its current form, to be sure, but there's also larger ones. More intelligent ones. Deer, local spirits, perhaps even a human if it's lucky. 

And it may not even need to be all that lucky. Rabbits are very sympathetic creatures, or so it remembers. It's sure it can find someone - a hiker, perhaps, or someone on the road, who will gladly help a poor, lost, injured little bunny. Why, you'd have to be a monster not to! 

A sound, drawing its attention away from speculation and into the concrete. Something larger than a rabbit or squirrel - sharp ears tell it it's a sound like two legs, not four. 

Oh, it is very, very lucky _indeed_ today. 

It leans into its body's natural limp - something gained in that _terrible_ fall, no doubt - and shuffles along, closer to the - not a human. 

Even better. 

It still can't tell what colors are what through these eyes, but it knows the shape of a forest guardian when it sees one. Skin like tree bark, lacking proper feet, with foliage growing from the torso and head. It can also tell that this one's a stranger, not the local spirit of these woods. All the better. 

Forest guardians are, technically speaking, both a physical embodiment of an entire forest and a spirit sworn to protect it. They're powerfully magical, fiercely defensive, and best of all, oh so _terribly gullible_. They rarely bother to check whether something's _actually_ an animal before springing to its aid. Aside from the local spirit of these woods, of course; it's terrorized _that_ one so much that it never lets its guard down anymore. No fun at all, and no place for a good meal. A guardian not from here, though, has no reason to doubt the defenseless, wounded creature calling for help. 

It flops forward, and calls out in the wordless language of animals. _Help me! Help! I'm wounded and lost!_

The guardian turns, and begins to approach. Now that it can see this one head on, it sees that it takes a more feminine form, and is more sparsely decorated with branches and leaves than most of its kind. Probably saving energy on the long journey to... wherever she's going. 

Her steps show no urgency. It's a slow, languid approach, as though they've both got all the time in the world. Which they probably do, technically speaking, but she could show a _little_ concern. It tries another call. _Oh please - you'll help me, won't you? Please, I can't walk, I need help_ \- 

As it calls, it reaches greedily for what it knows the approaching guardian will have. _Magic_. Overflowing life, the essence of an entire forest poured into a corporeal form. So easy to steal, and so much can be taken before she'll even note its absence. It can start its meal as soon as she...

...comes close enough...

...something is wrong. 

Something is wrong wrong _wrong_ , there's _no magic_ , no _life_ , in the guardian - the _thing_ standing over him now, she folds her arms and bends over to look idly down, and it's like looking into _nothing_ because she is _nothing_. A hole, an absence, a terrible, _wretched hollow tree_. If she - if this _thing_ was ever a guardian, it couldn't be called one any more. 

"You're not a rabbit," it comments, without any hint of concern. Perhaps even mild amusement. 

_Why?_

It reaches down, and picks it up like a scruffed kitten, and oh god its claws are _sharp_ it has _talons why_ \- 

"You shouldn't have said anything. I'm awfully hungry." 

The hollow guardian grins wide, and its mouth is full of fangs, and the monster in the cave regrets _so much_. 

A trace of smoke and rot tears through the dirt, seeking out the safety of its underground home, abandoning the rest of its magic and form behind. It knows which battles are not worth fighting. 


End file.
